In a thrilling final madison Etixx - Quick-Step rider Iljo Keisse and his team mate Michael Morkov have won the 75th Zesdaagse van Gent. For Keisse it was his 6th overall win in Ghent, his 25th Six Days win of his career.
Keisse and Morkov started as leaders on the final day. The top 4 teams made it a very exciting afternoon in het Kuipke in Ghent. During all the events the battled with each other for the points and the bonus laps.
In the final madison Keisse and Morkov started with the same points total as leaders Kenny de Ketele and Gijs van Hoecke. A real thriller took place in the last hour of these Six Days of Ghent. Several attacks were launched. Several bonus laps were taken, but also re-taken by the concurrents. In the final 50 laps there was a sprint every 10 laps. After the third sprint Morkov launched a final attack. Keisse took over from his team mate and together they took one last bonus lap.
That lap was enough to secure the overall win in the 75th edition of the Six days of Ghent for Keisse and Morkov. It meant Keisse`s 6th overall win in Ghent and his 25th Six Days win of his career.
“I’m really happy about this victory” Keisse says “It’s a race that I love and I have a special feeling with the public. They really pushed me and my teammate today! Morkov was great. We worked really well together the whole week. He is very strong. He has a great technique and tactically he knows how to do it. For me it was a little bit difficult after the crash I suffered the first night, but fortunately everything worked out well and we finished it out with the support of the public. I think they really enjoyed the race and the balance between the teams. The last Madison was difficult but spectacular. We knew we were good with the points but we decided to try and go for the lap to avoid a final sprint against fast couples. Everything went well, and finally I can celebrate again a victory after two second places in the last two years. That’s a nice moment for me. I started as a cyclist here at T’Kuipke. This track is really magic.”
Final overall classification
1. Iljo Keisse - Michael Morkov (Bel/Den) 457 points
2. Gijs van Hoecke - Kenny de Ketele (Bel) 449 pnt. (+ 1 lap)
3. Otto Vergaerde - Jasper de Buyst (Bel) 442 pnt. (+ 1 lap)
